Moxy (album)

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Moxy
Studio album by Moxy
Released	1975
Recorded	1975 Van Nuys, California
Genre	Hard Rock/Heavy Metal
Length	36:25
Label	Polydor (1975) Mercury Records (1976)
Producer	Mark Smith and Moxy
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Moxy chronology
Kinfolk 1971 Moxy 1975 Moxy II 1976

Moxy, also informally known as The Black Album or Moxy I, is the self titled debut album by the Canadian Hard rock and Heavy Metal band Moxy. Their independently produced album was originally released in 1975 by Polydor Records in Canada, then under Mercury Records label was reissued in 1976 for worldwide distribution, both labels were owned by PolyGram at the time (they are now owned by Universal Music Group).

Tommy Bolin was a guest musician on the album, who had previously been the lead guitarist for the James Gang and would go on to replace Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple. Tommy Bolin does all but two guitar solos, all rhythm guitar and the solos on "Sail On Sail Away", "Can't You See I'm A Star" and the ending of "Train" were performed by Earl Johnson.^[1] Earl was actually supposed to have done all the guitar parts, but got into a disagreement with the producer and was consequently tossed out of the studio. Tommy Bolin, being nearby, was asked by Moxy's manager Roland Paquin to fill in for Earl Johnson. Roland Paquin knew Bolin from when he was road manager for the James Gang. The debut album originally released in 1975 by Polydor for distributing in Canada was picked up by many radio stations in the USA and was one of the most requested album in Texas and as consequence Moxy was picked-up by the larger Mercury Records label in the US and a national distribution deal was made and the album was reissued in 1976. Bolin was only in the studio for this album, contrary to popular belief that he appears on Moxy II.^[2] Though Tommy’s time with Moxy was short, the album is tremendously popular with Tommy’s fans.^[3] Tommy’s tone and phrasing were very similar to his classic James Gang sound. The album produced the hit songs "Can't You See I'm a Star", "Train", "Out of the Darkness" and with "Sail On Sail Away" and "Moon Rider" that are still in the 2000s on the regular rotation on most Rock radio stations in Texas. The album sold well because of heavy promotion by the label who released the album on 8 Track in large numbers. Buddy Caine who is listed on the album cover did not join the band until after the album was finished, Buddy a rhythm guitarist was brought on by the band to free up Earl Johnson so he could play on the road what Tommy Bolin had added to the songs in the studio.

Contents 1 Credits 2 Tracks 3 Reissued 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Credits

• Buzz Shearman: Vocals
• Earl Johnson: Guitar
• Terry Juric: Bass
• Bill Wade: Drums
• Tommy Bolin: Guitar (Solos)
• Tom Stephenson: Piano in "Fantasy" (Tommy Bolin's long time keyboardist)
• Mark Smith : Producer, Engineer
• Richard Dashut : Engineer
• Buddy Caine: guitar - Note: Buddy Caine is listed on the album cover, but did not join the band until after the album was finished.

• Recorded and Mixed at Sound City, Van Nuys, California
• Jacket sleeve photo by Larry Nickels
• Arranged by Moxy

[edit] Tracks

1. Fantasy - 5:40 (Earl Johnson) (Solo by Bolin)
2. Sail On Sail Away - 4:52 (Earl Johnson) (Solo by Johnson)
3. Can't You See I'm a Star - 3:36 (Earl Johnson) (Solo by Johnson)
4. Moon Rider (Moonrider) - 4:25 (Earl Johnson, Buzz Shearman) (Solo by Bolin)
5. Time to Move On - 4:09 (Earl Johnson, Buzz Shearman) (Solo by Bolin)
6. Still I Wonder - 4:16 (Earl Johnson) (Solo by Bolin)
7. Train - 4:37 (Earl Johnson, Robert Bonnell) (Solo by Bolin and Johnson)
8. Out of the Darkness - 4:57 (Earl Johnson, Buzz Shearman) (Solo by Bolin)

[edit] Reissued

Moxy’s original catalogue of albums were again available starting in 1994 when Valerie Shearman ("Buzz" widow) oversaw the release of all of Moxy's back catalogue of albums on CD through Pacemaker Records, and again in 2003 this time through Unidisc Music Inc.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Moxy Official Web Site
• Moxy's official MySpace Page
• Earl Johnson interview at Tommy Bolin Fan Page on Angelfire

Moxy
Members
Buzz Shearman • Earl Johnson • Buddy Caine • Bill Wade • Terry Juric
Tommy Bolin • Mike Reno • Danny Bilan • Brian Maxim • Jim Samson • Kim Hunt • Alex Machin
Discography
Studio albums: - Moxy (1975) • Moxy II (1976) • ‎Ridin' High (1977) • Under The Lights (1978) • Moxy V (2000)
Live album: - Raw (2002)
Compilation albums: - A Tribute to Buzz Shearman (1984) • Best Of Moxy: Self-Destruction (1993)